BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS & POLITICS BLOG 2017

ASF Vote In General Election 2020

As is now a tradition on ASF, here is the order of votes that I cast in today’s general election:

Sinn Féin

Social Democrats

Independents 4 Change

Solidarity-People Before Profit

Solidarity-People Before Profit

Non-Party

Green Party/Comhaontas Glas

My “Non-Party” vote went to a local nurse I heard good things about while I gave the Greens a reluctant final transfer. I stopped at that point though I debated for a moment whether to give a nod to the FF candidate on a tactical anti-FG basis. But since that person is sure to be elected in any case I spared myself the pain of adding an “8” beside their name. As for the rest of the candidates, a rump of anti-fluoride-style independents and a dangerously deranged star of the Irish alt-right. I’d rather see my own hand chopped off Nuadha-style than vote for that sewer-dwelling blouse-shirt.

A sharp swing will make for some interesting meetings/negotiations, going forward with brexit and Stormont.
Not flippant but linguistically curious;
nuadha style, would that be similar to nuadhasach in Scots, meaning an innovative style?

Blowing up a gale now. I wonder how many young ones heading for the pubs/clubs will add in a detour to do a late vote? And will the bad weather put off older more status quo FF/FG/Lab voters or younger more disruptive left-inclined voters? The analysis on all this and Saturday voting more generally will be interesting to see. Could become a feature if the turnout is up a few points.

son in dublin was battening down the hatches and getting ready to watch TV this afternoon/evening. Was very resentful of FFG governance. Think he was speaking for many among the “young professionals” as he has long criticized housing and health agendas

Living in the UK so no voting for me. Clare is my constituency, but I have to say, the SF candidate was a complete unknown to me. The missus very wisely is gone on a girly weekend so she will miss me shouting at the TV.

I went and downloaded the RTÉ player app this week to watch the three-way debate and follow the results this weekend. Casting it to the TV, it is almost like being home.

So who should SF go into coalition with? FF the Republican Party or FG the United Ireland party? Or maybe a left wing coalition with the Greens and PBP etc. Or maybe just go into opposition and throw rocks at the government until the next election and run far more candidates next time out.

An interesting result and a very good result for Sinn Fein to take 24.5 % of the first preference votes.

The two existing parties in FF and FG must be looking across the water where in Scotland the SNP have over the last fifteen years increased their vote to a solid median vote of around 45% with a high in the 2015 general election of 50% ( or 49.93% to be exact )

Scotland is of course different in many respects with three different voting systems of multimember proportional representative council election, first past the post and multi member seven seater regional top up via D’Honde for the Scottish Parliament, and pure First Past the Post for Westminster. ( and was different again for the now gone European Parliament )

But the message is clear the two once dominant parties are gone with Labour in Scotland in particular down at the last European election into single percentage figures with the Tories not that far ahead. Small wonder therefore that the BBC and the Main Stream Media media together with the more shadowy mechanisms of the British establishment have been in overdrive trying to smear politicians. A secret war perchance being waged – from the world’s greatest democracy with police now arresting the leaders of the absolutely huge independence marches.

Not up to speed on the detail of Irish politics it certainly seems that the 24.5% that Sinn Fein has just achieved may just be the start. Mary Lou McDonald and her team therefore have a big challenge in front of them. Homelessness, a properly functioning health service, greater distribution of wealth are three of the key drivers whilst up in the North her counterpart has similar challenges but wrapped up altogether quite differently.

So from across the water let’s hope that this is a move towards a healthier, wealthier and more equitable united Ireland. There’s certainly work to be done as we in Scotland know only too well.

Great to wake up and see Gino returned. That was some fierce transfer discipline and solidarity on the Left to get him over the line. SF got a good hard look at where its surpluses went around the country. I think that mitigates against SF going into coalition with FF or FG, maybe as a senior partner, but certainly not as a junior.

Agreed. I thought Tipp was postponed due to the death of Skehan? I am not familiar with Healy, so I missed he was one of us following the results.

Seeing Bríd Smith getting elected on 2nd count solely on SF surplus was fantastic – RTÉ streamed their entire Sunday coverage on their app live. Far superior coverage to the dreck we are served here. Although apparently somewhat of an aberration for RTÉ, it was still refreshing.

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